Inflation measures how prices grow.
If inflation grows gradually, the economy benefits.
If prices slump, we call it 'deflation'.
If prices' growth spirals out of control, we call it 'Hyperinflation'
(Check Inflation, Hyperinflation, Deflation and Living with Inflation in the videos section https://www.ooberkidsrepublic.com/videos)
We have also learned that there are different types of inflation:
consumer driven (demand pull), cost driven (cost push) or/and caused by expectation (built-in inflation)
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... but how do we measure inflation?
In the United Kingdom we started measuring prices in 1914 to make sure people could afford food and basic commodities as prices kept rising during WW1
(1914-1918)
After WW2 (1939-1945) inflation was measured using
1ST RPI – Retail Prices Index (since 1956)
THEN Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) (since 1996)
The Bank of England Renamed HICP 'CPI' – Consumer Prices Index IN 2003 AND MADE IT ITS MAIN MEASURE OF INFLATION
AND NOW CPIH – CPI Index including Housing Costs (2017)
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RPI Vs CPI
RPI
CREATED IN THE UK TO MEASURE INFLATION IN THE UK
INFLATION ESTIMATES ARE USUALLY HIGHER (BY ABOUT 1%) THAN CPI
CPI
CREATED BY THE EU TO MONITOR PRICES THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EU
INFLATION RATE LOOKS LOWER, SO THE GOVERNMENT LOOKS MORE IN CONTROL OF THE ECONOMY AND THE ECONOMY LOOKS STRONGER
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RPI Vs CPI
RPI
INCLUDES EXPENSES MADE BY MOST HOUSEHOLDS
EXCLUDES THE EXPENSES OF
HIGH-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS' (THE SPENDING HABITS OF WEALTHY PEOPLE)
LOW-INCOME hOUSEHOLDS (PEOPLE EARNING LOW PENSIONS WHEN THEY RETIRE FROM WORK)
CPI
INCLUDES EXPENSES MADE BY ALL UK RESIDENTS (ANY NATIONALITY) AND VISITORS
EXCLUDES THE COSTS OF
KEEPING A HOUSE/PROPERTY IN GOOD CONDITIONS (REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE)
PROTECTING A HOUSE/PROPERTY (INSURANCE)
PAYING FOR A HOUSE/PROPERTY (MORTGAGE INTEREST, FEES, COUNCIL TAX AND STAMP DUTY)
Pie de foto: : CPIH INCLUDES SOME HOUSEHOLD EXPENSES
Pros
It's comprehensive. It's CPI + WHAT IT COSTS TO KEEP A HOUSE WHEN YOU LIVE IN THAT HOUSE, THE OWNER OCCUPIER HOUSING (OOH) COSTS
It also includes Council Tax costs
CONS
based on rents (so does NOT fully mirror the housing market, like the change in property prices)
Pie de foto: : The changes in the CPIH shopping basket reflect how our tastes change
IN and OUT of the CPIH basket
January 2020
IN
Gluten free breakfast cereal
Vegetable crisps
Re-usable bottle/mug, for an adult
Self-tanning product
OUT
MP4 player (due to smartphones use)
Bank Overdraft charges
Burger in a bun, eat in & Burger in a bun, takeaway (Replaced by a new burger item covering both eat in and takeaway)